About the Musicians for the Louisville Urban League Concerts
Kevin Harris, piano
A distinctive trait of internationally recognized jazz pianist Kevin Harris is his desire to constantly grow, evolve, improve, and advance. His interest to interweave traditional and contemporary music styles, visual arts, electronic media, science, and language, is what distinguishes his music and what renders his performances unique experiences, meant to activate the audience’s senses and personal curiosity.
"Participation,” Harris says, "is what keeps our souls alive.” As a leader, Harris has released six albums. Both live and recorded performances reflect Harris’s determination to capture his audience through explorative interactions that Terri Lyne Carrington describes as "an exciting commitment to quality."
Harris’ music education has its foundation in the degrees he has received, but equally importantly in Black Gospel and Afro-Caribbean styles of music. He possesses the unique ability to compose complex, uplifting, tempestuous, and deeply stimulating notes.
One of the captivating elements of his ensembles, from duet to orchestra setting, is the level of comfort and understanding they have with one another. Harris is known for his diving into soulfully expressive conversations and playful exchanges of ideas with his musicians, while always providing the space to improvise in the moment.
Fred Hersch talks of Harris as one who “plays and writes with flair and real soul" and DownBeat Magazine writes that “Harris' compositions deal with themes of strength, love, courage, and self- awareness. It's a heavy task he's set up for himself, and he meets the challenge gracefully.”
Harris' most innovative project as a composer are: “Resonance: A Contemporary Symphonic Reflection Through the Courageous Lens of Steve Biko”, “Roots, Water and Sunlight: A Contemporary Octet Expedition through the Expressions of James Baldwin", and “Pulse”, a compelling through-composed chamber work combining improvised and fully notated music. As a leader, he has released six albums. For his latest, “EMBERS,” one review quotes: “Comparing Harris' writing to that of Charles Mingus in the early ’60s and Herbie Hancock in the late ’60s is not faint praise. He stands on the shoulders of these masters, adds a singular personal voice, and has recruited strongly individualistic players to give his music definitive interpretation.”
Harris is part of the exclusive YAMAHA’s roster of Jazz piano artists. Among his most notable collaborations are Terri Lyne Carrington, Dayna Stephens, Ralph Peterson, Ameen Saleem, Greg Hutchinson Greg Osby, Jerry Bergonzi, George Garzone, Curtis Lundy, Caroline Davis, Bill Pierce, Francisco Mela, Avishai Cohen, Delfeayo Marsalis, Ben Street, Jason Palmer, Rudy Royston, Frank Lacey, Etienne Charles, Eric McPherson, and Sheryl Bailey.
Chris Lee, bass
Chris Lee is a composer and bassist from Los Angeles, California. His musical journey started with the piano at age 5, but he has since found his true calling in the bass.
He is currently in his last semester at Berklee College of Music studying Film & Media Scoring but is equally involved in writing and performing his own music.
As a jazz performer, Chris has had the opportunity to share the stage with jazz giants such as Terri-Lyne Carrington, Kris Davis, and Gretchen Parlato, as well as perform at major festivals like the prestigious Monterey Jazz Festival.
Chris enjoys composing original music within the modern jazz and modern instrumental forms. His audience is always captivated by his music!
Hassan Sabree, drums
Julia Cash, violin
Violinist Julia Cash has recently returned to Louisville after some 25 years pursuing an exciting musical career in New England and Europe. Brought back to Louisville by her family and her husband’s career, she was named Interim Principal 2nd violin of the Louisville Orchestra by Teddy Abrams. Also in the 21-22 season Ms Cash performed Mozart 5th Violin Concerto in Boston with Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra this last summer, that was hailed for “heroic presence, sparkling accuracy and delicacy of her silvery tone ” (Musical Intelligencer)
Ms. Cash left Louisville for Boston to work with legendary violinist James Buswell at age 15 to pursue an already promising musical future. Winner of the National Music Club Prize as a Tanglewood fellow, and a two-time Outstanding Performer award winner at the Academia Chigiana in Siena, Italy, Ms. Cash has performed all over the United States and Europe as a chamber musician and recitalist. In Boston, she performs with the Boston Ballet, Boston Pops, and has served as concertmaster for many prominent Boston musical groups such as Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra of Boston. A huge new music advocate, Ms. Cash served as concertmaster of Alea III under Gunther Schuller to high accolades. Early in her career, she served as principal second of Opera Boston and won a Pulitzer and has been on many Grammy nominated albums through her extensive recording career. Ms. Cash holds degrees from New England Conservatory of Music, the Staatliche Hochschule fur Musik in Germany and the Royal Conservatory of the Netherlands. In addition to James Buswell, other notable musical mentors include Pamela Frank, Vera Beths and Federico Agostini.
Ms. Cash is also an avid teacher and music educator. Along with her private studio, she has taught chamber music, orchestral coaching and lessons at Harvard, Boston College and Boston Latin School. She is currently on faculty at New England Conservatory and maintains a competitive studio of award winning students. Currently she spends summers teaching for Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras and serves as Music Director at Point Counter Point Chamber Music Camp in Vermont. She currently lives in Crescent Hill with her 3 daughters and violist/physician husband Tom, and is splitting her performing obligations between Louisville and Boston.
Paul York, cello
Recently hailed by The New York Times for his “warm-toned” performance of Lutosławski’s Grave (Metamorphoses), cellist Paul York is an accomplished soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. He currently serves on the string faculty at the University of Louisville, where he maintains an active teaching and performing schedule. Recent solo appearances include performances of Beethoven’s Triple Concerto in Nanjing, China and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and Karel Husa’s Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra at New York’s Carnegie Hall. He has performed Aaron Jay Kernis’s Colored Field for Cello and Orchestra with the Louisville Orchestra, and Vivaldi’s Double Concerto in G Minor with internationally acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Of his performance at Carnegie Hall, New York Concert Review said, “The fiendishly difficult solo part was brilliantly played by cellist Paul York; one had to be in awe of his playing.”
Mr. York serves on the faculty of the ARIA Summer International Academy and has been member of the artist faculty at the Beyond the Music Festival in Benasque, Spain, the Sewanee Summer Music Festival, Strings in the Mountains, and Accent 09 and 11 at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. He served as principal cello with the Des Moines Metro Opera Orchestra and has held principal cello positions with numerous regional orchestras and has performed with the cello section of the Saint Louis Symphony.
Mr. York received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California and his Master of Music degree from the University of California at Santa Barbara, where he studied with Ronald Leonard. Other teachers include Gabor Rejto, and Louis Potter. The recipient of numerous honors and awards, Mr. York was selected to participate in the prestigious Piatigorsky Seminar at the University of Southern California and has received Distinguished Faculty Awards in Teaching and Creative and Research Work from the University of Louisville.
Mr. York can be heard on the Ablaze, Arizona University Press, Centaur, innova, and CRS labels. His recording of works by Debussy, Shostakovich and Faure performed by the York-Biran Duo has recently been released by Centaur. His premiere recording of the Husa Concerto, as well as his recording of solo works entitled Paul York: Soliloquy and the Lutoslawski Cello Concerto, have received critical acclaim
Brittney Delpey, bassoon
Brittney Delpey graduated with her master's degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, studying under Barrick Stees. She received her bachelor’s degree at the Peabody Institute under the direction of Brad Balliett.
Brittney has performed with groups such as the Louisville Orchestra, NouLou Chamber Players, Akron Symphony, Youngstown Symphony, Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, Battle Creek Symphony, Baltimore’s Two Rivers Chamber Orchestra, and Peabody’s Conductors’ Orchestra, conducted by Marin Alsop. She also serves as a substitute for The New World Symphony in Miami, Florida, and as acting principal bassoon for the Paducah Symphony.
In 2018, Brittney made her solo debut at Moody Performance Hall with Dallas’ Metropolitan Winds performing the Weber Bassoon Concerto in F Major. Passionate about chamber music, she was a finalist in the 2021 NOLA Chamber Music Contest and has been a member of various wind quintets that have performed before the Dallas Winds, Dallas Opera, and for the CIM’s Black Student Union benefit concert. Recently, she worked with members of the Cleveland Orchestra on the premiere of Shawn Okpebholo’s Wind Quintet RISE for the Music for Food benefit concert.
Throughout past summers, she participated in the National Music Festival, the Advanced Bassoon Institute at Interlochen, the Decoda Chamber Music Program, and the Kent Blossom Music Festival, where she performed in a side-by-side concert with The Cleveland Orchestra. When Brittney is away from her bassoon and reed desk, she volunteers with the Louisville Urban League, serves as a CASA, and enjoys playing with her dogs and spending time with friends and family.